Mario Falcone apologises for taking drugs.

The 26-year-old 'The Only Way Is Essex' star was filmed allegedly taking cocaine in a friend's kitchen earlier this year.

He told 'The Sun on Sunday': ''I would like to publicly apologise to my loyal family and friends, all of my co-stars on TOWIE, to ITV and most importantly to all of the fans.''

Mario - who was suspended from the ITV2 show amidst the allegations - has revealed he has used his time off screen to get professional help.

He said: ''After a few personal issues, I went off the rails.

''I have been seeking professional assistance and am now fit and well.''

Meanwhile, Mario has admitted he is keen to return to the popular show.

He said: ''I hope that the producers and ITV will see my genuine remorse and consider allowing me to return to the show.''

Previously, the star admitted he was ''gutted'' not to have been involved in the show's twelfth series. After the finale aired last week, he tweeted: ''How was Towie? Gutted I couldn't be a part of this series but congratulations to the rest of the cast on completing series 12 x. [sic]''